Excuses, Excuses
by The Werewolf Mage
Summary: The Marauders attempt to fill their day with as many excuses as they can.


Title: Excuses, Excuses

Summary: The Marauders attempt to fill their day with as many excuses as they can.

Note: Just a cute little one-shot to tide me over. I've been thinking of details to a long fic, but sadly, a title eludes me. So I must sit and think and whatnot. And write little one-shots to pass the time. Though this did not come off as I hoped, I still kind of like it.

It all started at their first class of the day. Professor McGonagall was standing impatiently in front of Peter Pettigrew's desk. He did not have a completed essay as she had asked. And he was thinking hard and fast of an excuse to get him out of this.

He did mutter an excuse. An excuse that had to do with a dog that only Professor McGonagall heard.

"A dog, Pettigrew?" she demanded. "How could a dog get into Gryffindor Tower?"

Peter shrugged. In all honesty, it was a very honest excuse. Sirius had torn apart his homework the night before. And he had stayed up until three in the morning trying to finish it again. Or trying to find Remus's paper so he could copy it.

McGonagall sighed and headed onto the group of girls in front of him to collect their essays.

James leaned over next to Peter and whispered, "Not too bad, Wormtail. It was a proper excuse I think. Pity we can't share why it is with McGonagall or risk the chance of getting booted out of here."

"I say we make this a day of excuses." Sirius added, leaning back in his chair, his eyes half-shut in a near wince as he expected McGonagall to say something about him for having his chair back on two legs.

"I'm not sure." Remus said, ending with a sigh. Personally, he had made enough excuses to last him a lifetime. Besides, he was tired and not in the mood to lie, even if it was jokingly.

"Well you don't have to." Sirius told him. "We'll do it."

Instead of focusing on McGonagall, James, Sirius, and Peter spent the time planning their excuses for anything that might possibly come up.

So far their planned seemed to be a bit of a bust. It wasn't until a free period in the library that they managed to make another excuse.

"James, don't we have Quidditch practice tonight?" 

James did not glance up at the Keeper, Hali. Instead, he glanced at Sirius, who deftly slammed a large, heavy book entitled _Charming the Charmless _on his hand.

"No," James said in a strained voice, his eyes watering with tears. "I don't think my hand would be up to it. Besides, the Pitch is ours next week straight."

She headed off, shaking her head. 

She wasn't the only one shaking her head. Remus was shaking his as well.

"Best get him to the Hospital Wing." Sirius said brightly, trying not to laugh as James uttered a long list of swears between gritted teeth as he held his numb hand close to him.

Up in the Hospital Wing, James was trying not to wring Sirius's neck. Madame Pomfrey made a few "tsk tsk"s and asked what had happened to him.

"Well, a very large book decided it wanted to meet my hand." James muttered. He did not add that Sirius was the cause of that meeting.

Pomfrey stared at him for a little bit before mending his hand and setting them off to their Potions class.

Where James immediately started the excuse that he could not do his work as his hand was injured. Behind Slughorn's back, Sirius offered to injure his hand again.

"No thanks." James muttered.

James leaned over and tried to grab his book. He was more than tired of excuses. Especially if they involved injuries.

But Sirius and Peter weren't.

"Sir, I forgot my scales." Sirius said, pushing his scales to the very bottom of his bag. He remembered that Slughorn had no extras. "I'm pretty sure someone stole them." he added earnestly.

"Very well, Black. You're excluded today, but work harder next lesson. And see if you can borrow some from a younger student."

"Yes, sir." Sirius nodded.

Remus shook his head for what seemed like the millionth time that day. He did not know he was not the only one who had grown tired of this excuse day.

After a long lesson, the boys headed into the Great Hall for dinner. James was still nursing his hand. The four ate in near silence, with only Peter asking Sirius if he could borrow his homework.

"I'm not doing it." Sirius scoffed.

"Why not?" Peter demanded.

"I'm too tired to do it. I'll scribble something in a rush tomorrow."

"You even have an excuse to not do your homework." Remus told him. "How does that make you feel?"

"To be honest, a bit lazy." Sirius shrugged. He pushed his plate away from him, grabbed his bag, and got to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me," he added, much emphasis on "excuse", "I am heading upstairs for a nice nap."


End file.
